1000 YEARS - Book 1 - Awakening

7. Time Matters*

DAY 7:
The shower ran warm over her head as she lathered shampoo into her hair, mindful not to get any into her eyes this time. Time. — It was probably about time for Seth to bring her breakfast, but today she would rather not face him first thing in the morning. Nakamura had clicked her off like a light again the night prior, and she had yet to mull over all the disturbing discoveries she had made the day before.

One of her first worries this morning had been her torn dress. She had hopped into bed and hidden under the covers when Nakamura had arrived the past night and she had awoken in those same clothes. But curiously the tear in her dress had disappeared. — Yet another mystery... like so many others!

— 'Others'!
The skanky rotter had spoken of a 'neighbor' and of 'others' that his housekeeper had mentioned. And since his housekeeper, Demetria, was unknown to her, those statements had to refer to people other than herself.
And then there was the matter of the woman she had heard crying in the room next to hers. Was that woman one of these 'others'?... — And after her encounter yesterday, it sickened her to imagine what the woman might have been so upset about. Worries about sexual abuse or forced prostitution would not leave her mind...

Sloshing water over her shampooed head she made sure she thoroughly rinsed out all the suds and raked her fingers through her long hair to untangle the worst of it.

— She would have to find out! ...know for certain! ...and if there was anything she could do to help... maybe!?
She would have to go back out there, and it was imperative to time it correctly! She had a slight advantage at the moment, in that they had not yet found her out. It was important not to lose that strategic edge! None of them could know!
By now it was evident that the two doctors were lying to more than just her!
— And what part did Seth play in all of this...? ...that was as yet undetermined also. Was it just a question of his workload that he attended to her but not that degenerate creep across the hall?
...And how was it that a hospital ...or a 'convalescence place' or whatever this was... would let a heart attack patient get into this much alcohol!?...

She stepped out of her counterfeit milky-white 'conventional shower' and grabbed two towels off the warming rack, twisting one into a turban around her wet hair and rubbing herself down with the other.

— Nothing made sense here! — And the year was 2127?
...this just didn't compute!? It just seemed ... wrong!
Time! It was all about 'time' — and what time it was! And, of course, conveniently there were neither clock nor calendar anywhere in her room! How ... unsurprising! (She sneered.)
If only she had her... — Her what?

The towel rubbed over her left wrist and her mind caught.

— Her wrist computer!
She used to have a wrist computer there! What had happened to it? ...It contained ALL of her personal files — her IDENTITY records, her ...everything! EVERYTHING about her past would be resolved with it! WHERE was it? What had become of it...!?

Delicious smells of breakfast wafted to her through the closed bathroom door and her stomach rumbled. But she wanted to be certain that Seth had left, and, therefore, proceeded to waste an appropriate amount of time futzing around in the bathroom before she finally emerged.

— BLAST IT ALL!

Seth stood in the middle of the room in military 'at-ease' pose, hands behind his back and eyes fixed on the bathroom door — and now her. She felt her cheeks flush.

— Dammit! ...did he not have anything better to do?...

From behind the white pointy bang, sky-blue eyes probed hers. "How are you feeling this morning?" he asked softly; and she noted that his rich voice carried distinct undertones of concern.
Avoiding his eyes and feeling more than a little contrite she answered, "I am well, thank you for asking."
He dropped his gaze, and, to her surprise, hung his head. "Dr. Nakamura would not let me bring you dinner last night. She said you had fallen asleep and should not be disturbed." — He sounded strangely distraught by this!?...